Heavenly worship

Then the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones in front of God threw themselves face downwards and worshipped God, saying:
‘Lord God Almighty, the one who is and who was!
We thank you that you have taken your great power and have begun to rule!’  (verses 16, 17)

Read Revelation 11:14-19

Perhaps, in your experience, worship is not always the most exciting thing. It may even seem boring or irrelevant. Time after time the book of Revelation returns to pictures of the worship in heaven, and that worship is not boring. It is full of vivid sounds and sights. Most important of all, it involves being in the presence of God.

‘The twenty-four elders’ represent all believers. They have places of honour and power in heaven, seated ‘on their thrones’. But when they hear the announcement, ‘The power to rule over the world belongs now to our Lord and his Messiah, and he will rule for ever and ever!’ (Revelation 11:15), they get off their thrones and throw themselves face down in front of God and worship and thank him. God is the eternal ‘I am’, and he has now taken up his great power.

As a worshipping Christian, you are one of those elders. God is ready to take up his great power also on your behalf.

Thank you, almighty God, that you have taken up your great power and have begun to rule. Rule in my heart, so that I can worship you forever. Amen.

by David Schubert, in ‘God’s Peace for each Day’ (LCA, Openbook, 2005)

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